"We did not surrender, we fought against them": Pramod Tiwari reacts to PM Modi's remarks

New Delhi [India], October 18 (ANI): Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari on Saturday responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks made during the NDTV World Summit 2025, asserting that the Congress party has consistently stood firm against all forms of violence and extremism, including Maoist and Naxal threats.
Addressing the summit, Prime Minister Modi had alleged that the Congress party, while publicly displaying allegiance to the Constitution, has sheltered Maoist extremism. "Those who flaunt copies of the Constitution continue to shelter Maoist terror," he had said.
Reacting to the Prime Minister's statement, Tiwari told ANI that the Congress party has not backed down in the face of violence, recalling the loss of almost the entire Chhattisgarh leadership due to Maoist attacks.
The Congress leader said, "We fought against the British and sacrificed many things. Fought against terrorists, we witnessed Indira Gandhi and Rajeev Gandhi's martyrdom, and countless Congress leaders sacrificed their lives. We had lost almost the whole of Chhattisgarh leadership because of Maoists and Naxals... We did not surrender and didn't bend in front of them. We fight against them."
The Congress leader further stated, "We wanted to say it very clearly that whoever uses violence in the country, we will forever stand against them."
On Friday, noting that 303 Naxalites have surrendered in the last 75 hours, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the day is not far when the country will be completely free from Naxalism and that the festivities of Diwali are going to be something truly special in the areas liberated from Maoist terrorism.
Addressing the NDTV World Summit 2025 here, PM Modi said Naxalism has been loosely used by some people, but "in reality, it is Maoist terrorism".
He said that Maoist terrorism is "a great injustice, a grave sin against the youth of our country", and he could not leave the young people of this nation in such a situation.
The Prime Minister said he used to feel deep restlessness within, but remained silent for a long time. "Today, for the first time, I am sharing my pain with you," he said.
He hit out at the Congress, saying that during its rule at the Centre, an entire ecosystem of urban Naxals had developed.
"These urban Naxals were and still are so dominant that they run a massive campaign of censorship to ensure that incidents of Maoist terrorism do not reach the people of the country. There used to be so much discussion in our country about terrorism, and debates were held on Article 370. But the urban Naxals who had flourished in our cities during the Congress regime, and those who had taken control of various institutions, worked to cover up Maoist terrorism. They kept the country in the dark," he said. (ANI)